Ponder what it means that Christ is present in Eucharist, pope says
By Cindy Wooden
ROME
The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ and its Corpus Christi procession are important opportunities for Catholics to reaffirm their faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Pope Benedict XVI said.
The pope celebrated an evening Mass outside Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran on the feast day June 11, 2009, and knelt before the Eucharist as it was carried on a truck through the streets of Rome to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
"With awareness of being inadequate because of our sins, but needing to be nourished by the love that the Lord offers us in the Eucharistic sacrament, this evening we renew our faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist," the pope said during his homily.
Pope Benedict encouraged all Catholics to be clear in professing their faith in the Eucharist as Christ's body broken and blood spilled for their salvation and in pondering what that means each time they receive the Eucharist or kneel in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
"Today there is the risk of a creeping secularization even inside the church, which can translate into a formal and empty type of Eucharistic worship (and) into celebrations lacking that participation of the heart, which is expressed in veneration and respect for the liturgy," the pope said.
Pope Benedict asked Catholics to be on guard against the temptation to allow daily activities and concerns to take up so much space in their lives that they have time only for superficial and quick prayers.
In each Eucharistic celebration, the pope said, Christ makes present his sacrifice on the cross and gives himself as the nourishment people need to faithfully live in communion with God.
Celebrating the feast with representatives of Rome parishes and lay organizations based in the city, Pope Benedict said, "Nourished by Christ, we his disciples receive the mission to be the 'soul' of our city, the ferment of renewal, the bread broken for all, especially for those who live in situations of difficulty, poverty and physical and spiritual suffering."
The pope said that St. Leo the Great had taught that Christians participate in the Eucharist in order to become that which they receive.
"If this is true for every Christian, it is even more so for us priests," the pope said. "To be, to become Eucharist. Precisely this is our constant desire and commitment."
The pope told the priests present at the Mass that laypeople expect from a priest "an authentic devotion to the Eucharist; they love to see him take long pauses of silence and adoration before Jesus" like the famed pastor, St. John Vianney.
Coinciding with the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the saint's death, Pope Benedict has proclaimed a worldwide Year for Priests, which will begin June 19, 2009.
He said the Corpus Christi procession must be an occasion for a united prayer "to the Lord present in the consecrated host. In the name of the whole city, we will say to him: Remain with us, Jesus; give us yourself and give us the bread that will nourish us for eternal life."
The procession also would be an occasion to pray that Jesus would "free this world from the poison of the evil, the violence and the hatred that pollutes consciences," he said, asking Jesus to purify the world with "the power of your merciful love."
Copyright © 2009 Catholic News Service
